The Sun Sets Early

Quitting time comes earlier these days. We're working hard to close things up before it gets too cold, so porch columns and windows are all in process. Today we hauled a bunch of dirt off the site and backfilled against all the porch columns because they exceeded ground height! And the trailer fits in the driveway again! 

Jeff working with the concrete mixer.

The house, note all the concrete block in the front. It takes a lot of block to build a sag-proof porch!

Our mortar transport.

The blocks go in rows up to ground level like this, then get narrower to create a surface for the brick to sit on.

Every other year the massive walnut tree by the garage bombards us with walnuts. This happens to be the year. Above is our brick sidewalk, completely buried in walnuts.

Seriously, someone is going to break an ankle. Why the tree couldn't just wait until next year, we don't know...

A really cool sunset over the house.

Up on the house top

WOW! Where did September go? Somewhere along the line the blog was left behind... Here are some fairly old pictures of our house as they put on the roof. Now we're debating the house colors, what do you think green or brown or dark brown? Jeff is busy being a mason, building concrete pillars to hold up the porch. And the walnuts from our walnut tree are absolutely everywhere. Someone is going to sprain an ankle if the walnuts don't stop pouring down!

The roof trusses are going on!

Lifting the roof sheeting up to the roof.

It looks like the front is half-way done here.

Places where concrete doesn't quite go to the roof have to be filled in still.

Part of our roofing crew.

All the pieces are on!

Getting closer to home sweet home.

The other side of the house.

The house from a few backyards away.

Life at the Yockey's

A random selection of pictures from the last 10 days, to give you an idea what life at the Yockey's is like. In one word, chaos. In two, mud everywhere. In pictures, see below!

Late at night, when everyone was finally home from work and practice, we took a picture in front of the High Hoe because it was leaving the next day. Good-bye  High Hoe! (It is a little hard to see behind us, but it is that big yellow thing that looks like it could eat the house).

We've gotten in some of our bricks for the columns and the exterior of the house. They are this type of brick, made with a historic process so they look as authentic as possible. We want our house to really blend into this historic neighborhood.

The Yockey Driveway Obstacle Course. Jonathan and Sarah will challenge anyone who thinks that it isn't hard to get a bike out of this driveway at 5 or 6am, especially when it is raining, to a contest. Winner gets ice cream!

Part two of the driveway obstacle course. Avoid the big holes!

The footers for the porch columns.

The foundation for the main porch in the front. Funny story about the port-a-potty. Yesterday we heard one of the workers talking on his cell phone from inside the port-a-potty. Not quite as private a location as you might think while inside since it does sit between the sidewalk and the street...

Sarah and Jeff pose for an updated picture to send to people they're visiting on a big college tour next week.

Pouring Concrete 9/1

WE DID IT! The last main pour of concrete was 9/1, so all our walls are now full of concrete! More updates to come!

The crew pouring concrete in the lounge wall.

More pouring concrete, this floor was probably the trickiest.

Filling in Jonathan's bedroom wall.

Concrete all the way to the brim!

Our lounge viewed from a place above the bathroom.